Aruba's Secrets UTV Expedition
Discover the hidden secrets of Aruba in the most unique guided UTV tour in the island and visit Frenchman's Pass, the Museum of Industry, Water Cave, Baby Beach Guadirikiri Cave and other lesser known landmarks.
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Aruba's Secrets UTV Expedition
Discover the hidden secrets of Aruba in the most unique guided UTV tour in the island and visit Frenchman's Pass, the Museum of Industry, Water Cave, Baby Beach Guadirikiri Cave and other lesser known landmarks.
Aruba
tuesday, friday
6 hours See schedule
English, Spanish, Dutch
From
$325 per vehicle
Reserve it for only $70.60
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Highlights
- Enjoy a complimentary pick up at your hotel or cruise ship terminal before the UTV tour
- Gear up for the UTV adventure and enjoy a short safety and operational briefing
- Drive through Frenchman's Pass, a narrow passage between coral cliffs above Spanish Lagoon
- Visit the Museum of Industry in San Nicolas and learn about Aruba's history
- Descend to the wells at the Mangel Cora Wells, a 2134 feet tunnel under the corals
- Treat yourself to a light picnic at the beautiful Baby Beach and take a quick swim
- Explore the Guadirikiri Cave system with the provided flashlight
- Learn about Aruba's gold rush at the Bushiribana Gold Mill ruins
- Visit the California Lighthouse, Aruba's most famous landmark
- Enjoy a comfortable ride back to your hotel or cruise ship terminal at the end
Reserve your spot for only $70.60 per vehicle!
We know you don't like spending a lot of money upfront. So instead of paying the full amount, you can secure your spot for only $70.60 and pay the rest at the check-in. And the best part? Even this small deposit is fully refundable if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance! See prices and schedule.
This activity is available to both hotel and villa guests as well as to cruise ship passengers.
Important On cruise ship days, thousands of people are looking to do activities and tours sell out weeks or even months in advance. Secure your spot now and if you change your mind, you can still cancel for a full refund 24 hours before the start.
Vegetarian food available
Kids friendly
Round trip transfer included
Guided tour
Mobile voucher accepted
Reviewed by Sirena H on September 17
My husband and I did the Aruba’s Secret Places tour. It was our first time to the island. We learned so much about the history and culture of Aruba and got to e...
Reviewed by Sirena H on September 17
Description
Enjoy a convenient transfer from your hotel or cruise ship terminal in one of our comfortable motor coaches in the morning and drive to our headquarter. We will finish off the necessary paperwork and pick up essential gear such as a bandana, googles and water shoes at our office.
You will receive instructions on how to safely operate your personal 2 or 4 seater UTV and then set out on a rough and rugged ride to explore the hidden secrets of Aruba only available on this tour.
Departing from our UTV office, you will first head to the Frenchman's pass, a narrow passage between coral cliffs above Aruba's Spanish Lagoon. You will continue the ATV tour to San Nicolas where we will visit the Museum of Industry and learn about Aruba's history.
Adventurous travelers may dare to descend to the Mangel Cora Wells, a 2134 long tunnel beneath the surface. After exploring the wells, you will head to Baby Beach for a nice picnic on the beach.
After lunch, you will drive to the Guadirikiri Cave Drive, famous for its dome-shaped chambers which are illuminated with sunlight through holes in the ceiling. You will receive flashlights to explore the hidden parts as well.
Then we will ride on to the next stop at the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins for a photo op in the place where much of the island’s 3 million pounds of gold was processed during Aruba’s 100-year gold rush.
The final stop will be the California Lighthouse at the northern tip of the island with a breathtaking 360-degree view that provides the perfect ending to an adventure you will remember for years to come!
At the end of the tour, you will board one of our comfortable motor coaches for the ride back to your hotel, resort or cruise ship.
Round trip transfer: We offer round trip transfer from most major neighborhoods in Aruba, such as Arashi Beach, Palm Beach, Eagle Beach, Oranjestad, the cruise ship terminal and some other neighborhoods along the way. People staying at the far South-East region of the island will need to come to our office for the check-in.
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Additional information
Price includes
- Round trip transfer (see description)
- 7-hour UTV tour
- Local guide
- All entrance fees
- Water and snacks
- Light snacks
- Bandana
- Water shoes
- Helmets and flashlight
Price does not include
- Goggles
What to bring
- Driver's licence
- Clothes that can get dirty
- Closed shoes recommended
- Swimsuit, sunscreen, towel
Good to know
- Minimum age to drive: 18 years
- Minimum age in 2-seater UTV: 12 years
- Minimum age in 4-seater UTV: 6 years
- There is only one restroom stop during the tour ($1 per person)
- Certain parts of the tour goes through traffic
- There is no place to change clothes. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes.
- Pregnant women and people with back, neck or heart problems are not allowed
- You need to sign a waiver before the tour
- Considerable amount of hiking is involved
- Vegetarian and "anti-allergen" food is available if told us in advance
- Carnival Cruise passengers must book through their cruise line
Flexible cancellation policy
- Full refund if cancelled at least 24 hours before the commencement of the activity, no refund after.
- Full refund if cruise ship does not dock in time or does not dock at all and tour is missed.
- Full refund if supplier cancels the tour.
- If there is no specific check-in time then booking must be cancelled at least 24 hours before tour day.
- No refund if you don’t show up for the activity or if it starts with a pick up and you miss it.
- Supplier gets to decide if the weather is good enough to run the tour.
- In case of a dispute, Twistour has the final word in deciding the amount of refund.
Instructions
- Click on the Book now button and choose the date and amount of tickets
- Proceed and fill in your billing details
- Pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal
- You will receive your voucher via email or you can download it from this site in your Tickets submenu
- On the day of the activity, follow the instructions in your voucher to the check-in location
- Go to the reserve your spot section on this page and choose the date and amount of tickets
- Click on the Book now button and fill in your billing details
- Pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal
- You will receive your voucher via email or you can download it from this site in your Tickets submenu
- On the day of the activity, follow the instructions in your voucher to the check-in location
Been there. Done that.
Our travel experts have extensively travelled the region and tried most activities. Ask them if you have any question or need personalized advice. We are offline
Been there. Done that.
Our travel experts have extensively travelled the region and tried most activities. Ask them if you have any question or need personalized advice. Check-in location
Free round trip transfer is available from the cruise ship terminal and hotels between Oranjestad and Palm Beach. We will advise exact pick up time after reservation.
If you stay at an area where we do not offer pick up, you need to come to a hotel where we do pick up or come to our office at Schotlandstraat 85 (behind Pizza Hut Sasaki) 30 minutes before departure.
If you stay at an area where we do not offer pick up, you need to come to a hotel where we do pick up or come to our office at Schotlandstraat 85 (behind Pizza Hut Sasaki) 30 minutes before departure.
Reserve your spot here
Reserve your spot here
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Aruba's Secrets UTV Expedition
Total
Tax included
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$ 0
Balance to be paid at check-in
$ 0
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Fantastic tour highlighting the entire island!
My husband and I did the Aruba’s Secret Places tour. It was our first time to the island. We learned so much about the history and culture of Aruba and got to explore so many things most never get an opportunity to see (including locals.. they told us!) Our guide, Justin (Jersey), was AWESOME! He not only knows the island like the back of his hand, it is evident he is passionate about sharing it with others. He was so fun to spend the day with. We were lucky, because we were the only people on the tour, so had a very personalized experience. I believe this tour is typically kept to a very small group. Our favorite parts of the tour were the Museum of Industry (this is where we learned a lot of the history facts), the water wells.. seriously so cool!, and fish pedicures in the national park. I would highly recommend this tour, even if you’ve been to Aruba many times. You will learn and see things you have never known about before. This tour is rigorous, so pack lots of water and make sure you’re up for a long day. Thank you Fofoti and Justin for an awesome experience!!Reviewed by Sirena H on September 17, 2019
Awesome experience
We had Rudolph as our tour guide and we were the only UTV for the island adventure tour. Rudolph was awesome, funny and knowledgeable. The tour was so much fun, we got amazing pictures and will we never forget the experience. Highly recommended!Reviewed by stephanie on September 11, 2019
Utv excursion
This trip was amazing!! Our tour guides Jersey and Mikey did an awesome job. The places we visited were beautiful. Definitely made this trip memorable.Reviewed by Jvald79 on September 04, 2019
One amazing trip
This guided tour had everything. The attractions are great but you get to see parts of Aruba you most likely wouldn’t. It was so much fun. It goes from one end of the island to the other and a lot of places in between. Our guide, Patrick, was great and brought us everywhere. The terrain was city streets to dusty interior roads and open spaces. My favorite was being along the coast. It felt like we were the only people for miles around. Would definitely recommend this trip if anyone is thinking about it. One more recommendation, get to the goggles. You’ll be glad you did.Reviewed by GraniteSt8 on September 02, 2019
Mflynn3
My wife and I chose this UTV tour. Rudolph was our guide and did a great job and we had a lot of fun on the tour itself. HOWEVER, we paid for a tour that included transportation. We were picked up by a bus to start the day, but upon our return to the office the bus was used for something else “last minute.” They arranged cabs for everyone to be taken back to their respective hotels. We were told it was all taken care of, but when we pulled up to our hotel, we were forced to pay for the cab. We called Fofoti to let them know and spoke to a staff member who said she needed to call us back about it, but they never returned our call. In summary: Great tour. Ended poorly.February 23, 2019
Foghat123
We stayed at The High Rise Resort area with Palm trees and beautiful calm beaches, but there is another side of Aruba we never saw. Some people say it's the real Aruba .So we took an Adventure with Fofoti tours on " UTV's something we've never done before to explore . Jason was our tour guide , he showed us the basics of the UTV's and then we went off road to eat dust, drive on the wild side and have FUN! We saw,The Natural pools, Natural Bridge ,The Old Gold Mine , The Alto Vista Church and The California Light house. Thanks to Jason to showing us his beautiful Aruba !February 16, 2019
stmpstmp4
We had been on the island 2 years ago and did a tour called Natural Bridge Safari with DePalm. We knew two things this time around. We wanted to do ATV/or UTV and we wanted to go to different places than that tour. We searched online when we arrived and came across an UTV tour that Fofoti had put together called "Aruba's Secret Places Adventure Tour". October 16, 2018
Tour tour is $300 + 6% tax. This price is for 2 people not per person. The tour description online lists Frenchman's Pass, Museum of Industry, Mangel Cora Well, Baby Beach, Guadirikiri Cave, Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, and the California Lighthouse. The tour is approximately 7 hours long. The price includes round trip pick up from your hotel, bottles of water and soda throughout the day, a bandana, museum entrance fee, helmets and flashlights, an afternoon snack, picnic lunch, the entrance fee to Arikok National Park, and swimming shoes. The tour runs at 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
**We believe that we went to more places than what was listed on the site. Also, we are not the most athletic of individuals and were surprised at some of the elements of the tour. We made it through, but did recommend a little better description on the website.** This tour would be perfect for those of you that are looking for adventure while in Aruba.
I am going to try my best to walk you through our day as I will try to use this post on TripAdvisor as well.
We were told to be ready to be picked up promptly at 7:30am. 7:30 on the dot the bus pulled up to pick us up at our hotel. We were greeted by Jonathan. The bus was very clean, spacious, and air conditioned. There was another tour goer on the bus when we were picked up. The 4 of us headed to the Fofoti office for final paperwork. When we arrived we were told by Jonathan that it was just going to be the 4 of us on the tour today and that we were the second ever group to go on this tour as it had just started last week! We were excited about an almost all day private tour. We signed a waiver inside the office. They gave us our bandana and water shoes and offered us the chance to purchase riding goggles at $15 per pair. We opted to purchase the goggles and we were happy with the purchase. Obviously, if you already have these or have sport type sunglasses those might do the trick.
Jonathan the bus driver/tour guide was very upbeat from the start. He helped us get into our UTV equipment. Brand new looking UTV's in excellent shape. He explained how the functions of the equipment worked and asked if we had any questions. We were off and on our way to our first stop which was the Balashi Gold Mill Ruins. We pulled up and Jonathan gave us a brief history of the Balashi Gold Mill Ruins. We knew then that the tour for the day would not be fitting for anyone with too many physical limitations or peopel that require mobility vehicles, wheelchairs, etc. We walked up to the top using the stone stairs and were able to take in the great views. Jonathan was great about asking if he could take pictures of us and our fellow group member throughout the day. We hopped back in the UTV's and headed to San Nicholas.
Our next stop in San Nicholas was the Museum of Industry. This stop was about an hour. It included a guided tour by the museum manager. It was very interesting hearing about how the museum itself used to be the water tower for San Nicolas. We also learned about the industry of the island going from gold mining, aloe farming, to phosphate mining, refining of oil and now onto tourism. The building was air conditioned and had clean restrooms. There was a second story to the water tower where you were able to watch individuals that have lived on the island for many years recount what the industries were like in those older time periods. The museum had artifacts and great informational history about predominate families that started in Aruba or came to Aruba and helped grow its various industries. We hopped into the UTV's and headed to the old phosphate mine.
I apologize that I do not recall the name of the mine. Helmets and flashlights were available for this portion of the tour. We went down into a hole in one of the veins and our tour guide brought us pretty far into the mine. We saw a few purple crabs and were able to take some neat photos. Being 5ft 10in I was happy I wore my helmet as I heard it hit against rock as the ceiling was quite low. It was amazing to think that not to long ago, the mines were active with 100's of people working in them. We climbed back out and headed to the Mangel Cora Well.
On the way we stopped at the Seroe Colorado Lighthouse. We were able to take some awesome pictures from the top of this area. We continued on to Mangel Cora Well.
I am going to be honest, we had no idea what the Mangel Cora Well was going into the tour so we were quite surprised when we parked the UTV's, changed into our provided water shoes and walked a few 100 feet into the desert and there in front of us was a ladder going down into a shaft. Jonathan informed us that most tourists have not experienced this on there visit to Aruba. We went down approximately a 15 foot ladder. He explained that that the ankle to waist deep water depending on where you were within the well was half sea water and half rain water. It was very clear water.(We wish the website had said to bring/wear a bathing suit as it only said athletic gear) On both sides of the well making the walls was beautiful Coral from years and years back. The terrain was very rocky under the water. We were very happy to have the water shoes. We walked into the well I would estimate about 1000 feet. Jonathan was very resourceful and pointing out beautiful coral formations and helping us take pictures along the way. It would be very dark in there without the flashlights. I would say the width of the well is about 4-5 fee from side to side. Plenty of height existed. We got into a point of a beautiful coral formation that Jonathan wanted us to see and then we turned back around and headed out. The ladder climb out was a little bit tough as the water shoes did not have the best support on the thin ladder rungs. We made it out and got back into the UTVs.
We drove over to the short drive to baby beach. This was a 45 minute stop for lunch and swimming. Again, we wish we had been told about the swimming portion as we did not bring bathing suits with us. The picnic lunch was great. Jonathan found us some shade and laid out picnic blankets for us. Each UTV had a picnic basket packed in it. It included a package of peanuts for each person and a plastic tupperware piece containing seasoned baked potato chunks and a bbq chicken wrap. Jonathan offered us cold water or soda to go with lunch. He let us know we could venture wherever we wanted at that point but we would be leaving in 45 minutes. My wife and I ate lunch and then headed to the restrooms behind Big Mama's. They are $2 per person if you do not eat at Big Mama's. We walked back along the beach and before we knew it we were off again.
We stopped at the Quadirkiri Cave. We journeyed up and inside. We got to see some bats flying around. The third chamber of this cave was closed for bat conservation, but we were able to get some nice pictures of the first two chambers.
Our next stop was to the Fontein Cave. It was very neat seeing some of the Indian drawings and markings. A guide was there to assist you. It was also neat to see how far back some of the graffiti that had been written on the ceiling dated. We saw some from the 1800's. Across from the cave is what they call getting a fish pedicure. It is down a pathway. There is room for about 6-8 people at a time to be able to put there feet in the natural spring and let the fish swim up to your feet and eat your dead skin. It is the strangest sensation if you have never done it, but it was very neat. We hopped into the UTV's and headed to the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins.
Here Jonathan explained that this was the other gold mill that was in existence during the gold mining period. He helped us climb into the ruins and get some great pictures. A food/drink vendor was set up outside the ruins and he gave everyone a chance to rest and get a beverage or snack if so desired. We hopped into the UTV's for a final venture to the California Lighthouse.
At the lighthouse Jonathan explained some brief history of the lighthouse. He took pictures of us with the lighthouse as well.
We were back in the UTV's and drove by Arashi Beach on the way back to the Fofoti Office.
It was pretty close to a 7 hour day, if not a little more as advertised.
Our takeaways:
This was exactly the kind of tour we were looking for. Something different then what we had already seen on the island. The UTV's were great new equipment and were well needed as we switched into 4x4 a few times in some of the areas. This tour is physically demanding. If that is not what you are looking for, this may not be the tour for you. That being said, my wife and I are not the pure athletic type and made it through ok. The tour guide was fantastic. We thought for the money, with admissions included, shoes included, lunch included, and the length of the day that the price was justified. Our only recommendations are to bring or wear a bathing suit and bring a towel with you. You will get dirty, sweaty and muddy. If you do bring belongings with you, put them in a trash bag and put them in the netting trunk that you have on your UTV vehicle. We were estatic to say that we were one of the first people to go on this tour!
Thank you Jonathan and Fofoti for giving us everything we could have hoped for in a tour!
Response from supplier
We so very much appreciate you taking the time to write such an extensive review of our new Aruba's Secret Places Adventure UTV tour with Fofoti! We've updated the information about this tour on our website to be sure people know everything they need to know ahead of time, including what to bring and how physically demanding the tour is, so thank you for mentioning all of that. And we hope you'll choose another Fofoti adventure the next time you come to One Happy Island!
Steph K
Before I get to the amazing tour, I want to first acknowledge the professional and courteous manner of the staff at Fofoti Tours. Everyone was so nice and dedicated to making our experience one to remember. Even though the Secret Places Adventure Tour was technically unavailable at the time we booked, they still accommodated us and we are so grateful for that as we were able to experience the wild side of Aruba that most people do not get the chance to see.October 14, 2018
We were picked up in a big, new, air-conditioned bus by our tour guide, Jonathan who was so sweet and friendly. We were given goggles, bandanas, and water shoes (which I definitely recommend for this tour). At every stop, Jonathan was very knowledgeable and taught us something new about each place.
You stop at the Museum of Industry (a nice a/c break on a hot day) where you learn all about Aruba's history and how it made it's mark on the world from the gold rush to the phosphate to the oil and magical healing aloe. It was very informative and gave us a new perspective and appreciation for the happy island.
From the gold mill ruins to the caves, each sight was spectacular. We knew this wasn't going to be like any other tour when he gave us flashlights and we climbed into the underground phosphate caves. But then the next stop was even more exciting as we climbed down into an underground water cave, treading through a long water-filled corridor, climbing over old windmill columns. After a stop for a delicious picnic lunch of chicken wraps and roasted potatoes at Baby Beach (the southeastern tip of the island, you can swim here too), we headed into Arikok National Park, passing the giant windmills and exploring the Guadariki caves where early settlers left drawings on the walls. It was amazing to see fossils there as the water was once high enough to carve out these caves in the cliffs. Next was a quick fish pedicure - stick your feet in a small pond and the fish nibble on your toes! We UTV'd through the beautiful park over hills and around curves, taking in the amazing views of Aruba. At Bushiribana Ruins, we were able to climb up to the top and enjoy more views. Here you can get a delicious snack from the food truck (I recommend the steak & cheese sandwich or a banana smoothie). Next, you continue north up the eastern coast - this is where you pick up the speed a bit like Mad Max to get the real rush of UTVing! All the way up to the northwestern tip of the island to the last stop at the California Lighthouse. We made an additional stop at a local beach to wash off before going back to Fofoti headquarters to take the bus back to our hotel.
Things I recommend for this tour: Wear clothes/shoes you don't mind getting dirty (if it rained recently, you'll be going through lots of mud puddles), bathing suit, definitely the water shoes as they are good for the caves and climbing the ruins, close fitting sunglasses or the goggles they have available to protect your eyes from the wind and dirt, and a camera to capture all the amazing sights.
All in all, this tour far exceeded our expectations and we are so glad we chose this company to help us explore Aruba. Thank you Jonathan and the staff at Fofoti for an adventure we'll never forget!
Response from supplier
Thank you so much for your extensive review of the new Aruba's Secret Places Adventure UTV Tour with Fofoti! You made many good points about what is needed to be full prepared for this tour and we've already made some adjustments to our website information about this tour so people know what they should bring with them. We're so glad you enjoyed the excursion and look forward to taking you on another Fofoti adventure the next time you come to Aruba!